Deformation Versus Modified J-Integral Resistance Curves for Ductile Materials

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xian-Kui Zhu ◽  
Poh-Sang Lam
Keyword(s):  
Fracture Mechanics ◽  
Size Dependence ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Experimental Results ◽  
Integral Parameter ◽  
Fracture Toughness Test ◽  
J Integral ◽  
Resistance Curve ◽  
Integrity Assessment ◽  
Resistance Curves

The J-integral resistance curve (or J-R curve) has been widely used as material property in fracture mechanics methods for structural integrity assessment. ASTM E1820 provides the standard fracture toughness test methods to measure JIc and J-R curves. The conventional J-R curve utilizes the J-integral parameter proposed by Rice [1] based on the deformation theory of plasticity. Due to crack-tip constraint effect, J-R curves of a material depend on specimen size, geometry type and crack length. In order to obtain size-independent resistance curves, Ernst [11] introduced a modified J-integral or Jm to minimize the size dependence and to characterize the resistance curve for large crack extensions beyond the limitation of deformation J-R curves. In the late 1980s and in the early 1990s, different experimental results showed the modified Jm-R curves were still size-dependent and may even behave worse than the deformation J-R curves. However, to date, the Jm-R curves are still regarded as “size-independent” in fracture mechanics analysis. To clarify this, the present paper gives a brief historical review of ductile resistance curves in terms of deformation J-integral and the modified Jm-integral, and evaluates the size dependence using experimental results for various steels and specimens, including A285 carbon steel and SENB specimens. A suggestion how to use the resistance curves is made accordingly.

Improved Incremental J-Integral Equations for Determining Crack Growth Resistance Curves

2012 ◽  
Vol 134 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xian-Kui Zhu
Keyword(s):  
Fracture Mechanics ◽  
Crack Growth ◽  
Integral Equations ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Test Procedure ◽  
Fracture Toughness Test ◽  
J Integral ◽  
Integrity Assessment ◽  
Growth Increments ◽  
Unloading Compliance

The J-integral resistance curve is the most important material properties in fracture mechanics that is often used for structural integrity assessment. ASTM E1820 is a commonly accepted fracture toughness test standard for measuring the critical value of J-integral at the onset of ductile fracture and J-R curve during ductile crack tearing. The recommended test procedure is the elastic unloading compliance method. For a stationary crack, the J-integral is simply calculated from the area under the load-displacement record using the η-factor equation. For a growing crack, the J-integral is calculated using the incremental equation proposed by Ernst et al. (1981, “Estimations on J-integral and Tearing Modulus T From a Single Specimen Test Record,” Fracture Mechanics: Thirteenth Conference, ASTM STP 743, pp. 476–502) to consider the crack growth correction. For the purpose of obtaining accurate J-integral values, ASTM E1820 requires small and uniform crack growth increments in a J-R curve test. In order to allow larger crack growth increments in an unloading compliance test, an improved J-integral estimation is needed. Based on the numerical integration techniques of forward rectangular, backward rectangular, and trapezoidal rules, three incremental J-integral equations are developed. It demonstrates that the current ASTM E1820 procedure is similar to the forward rectangular result, and the existing Garwood equation is similar to the backward rectangular result. The trapezoidal result has a higher accuracy than the other two, and thus it is proposed as a new formula to increase the accuracy of a J-R curve when a larger crack growth increment is used in testing. An analytic approach is then developed and used to evaluate the accuracy of the proposed incremental equations using single-edge bending and compact tension specimens for different hardening materials. It is followed by an experimental evaluation using actual fracture test data for HY80 steel. The results show that the proposed incremental J-integral equations can obtain much improved results of J-R curves for larger crack growth increments and are more accurate than the present ASTM E1820 equation.

Advances in Development of J-Integral Experimental Estimation, Testing and Standardization

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xian-Kui Zhu
Keyword(s):  
Fracture Toughness ◽  
Fracture Mechanics ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Experimental Testing ◽  
Estimation Method ◽  
J Integral ◽  
Fracture Testing ◽  
Integrity Assessment ◽  
Ductile Materials ◽  
Experimental Estimation

The J-integral is an important concept in the elastic-plastic fracture mechanics, and serves as a critical material parameter to quantify the toughness or resistance of ductile materials against fracture. The relation between the J-integral and crack extension has been widely used as the resistance curve of ductile materials in fracture mechanics design and in structural integrity assessment. Experimental testing and evaluation have played a central role in providing reliable fracture toughness properties to fracture mechanics analysis. Since the J-integral concept was proposed, extensive efforts of investigations have been made to develop its experimental estimation method, testing technique and standardization, as evident in the ASTM E1820 — a commonly used fracture toughness testing standard. In recent years, significant progresses of the J-integral fracture testing and experimental estimation have been achieved, and a part of them was accepted and updated in ASTM E1820. To better understand and use this fracture testing standard, the present paper gives a brief review of historical efforts and recent advances in the development of the J-integral experimental estimation and standard testing.

Deformation Versus Modified J-Integral Resistance Curves for Ductile Materials

2015 ◽  
Vol 137 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xian-Kui Zhu ◽  
Poh-Sang Lam
Keyword(s):  
Deformation Theory ◽  
Size Dependence ◽  
Fracture Property ◽  
J Integral ◽  
Resistance Curve ◽  
Structural Components ◽  
Ductile Materials ◽  
Size Dependent ◽  
Resistance Curves ◽  
Better Than

The J-integral resistance curve (or J-R curve) is an important fracture property of materials and has gained broad applications in assessing the fracture behavior of structural components. Because the J-integral concept was proposed based on the deformation theory of plasticity, the J-R curve is a deformation-based result. It has been known that the J-R curves of a material depend on specimen size and geometry; therefore, a modified J-integral or Jm was proposed to minimize the size dependence. Extensive experiments have shown that the Jm-R curves might remain size-dependent and could not behave better than the traditional deformation J-R curves. To date, however, it is noticed that the Jm-R curves were still used as “size-independent” results in some fracture mechanics analyses. It is necessary to revisit this topic for further clarification. This paper presents a brief review on the development of deformation and modified J-integral testing, and obtains a simple incremental Jm-integral equation. It is followed by typical experimental results with discussions on the issues of constraint or size dependence of J-R and Jm-R curves for different steels and specimens. Finally, a recommendation is made on properly selecting a resistance curve in the fracture analysis.

Improved Incremental J-Integral Equation for Determining Crack Growth Resistance Curves

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xian-Kui Zhu ◽  
Brian N. Leis
Keyword(s):  
Integral Equation ◽  
Crack Growth ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Test Procedure ◽  
Fracture Toughness Test ◽  
J Integral ◽  
Integrity Assessment ◽  
Growth Increments ◽  
Specimen Test ◽  
Unloading Compliance

The J-integral resistance curve is the most important material property used in structural integrity assessment. ASTM E1820 is a commonly used fracture toughness test standard for measuring the critical value of J-integral at the onset of ductile fracture and J-R curve. The recommended test procedure is the elastic unloading compliance method where multiple points are obtained from a single specimen test. For a stationary crack, the J-integral is simply calculated from the area under the load-displacement record using the η-factor equation. For a growing crack, the J-integral is calculated using the incremental equation proposed by Ernst et al. (1981) to consider the crack growth correction. In order to obtain accurate J-integral values, ASTM E1820 requires small and uniform crack growth increments. To allow larger crack growth increments in the unloading compliance test, an improved J-integral estimate equation is needed. Thus, this paper proposes a new incremental J-integral equation for determining J-R curves. An analytic approach is then developed and used to evaluate the accuracy of the proposed incremental equation using single edge bending and compact specimens for different hardening materials. Followed is an experimental evaluation using actual fracture test data for HY80 steel. The results show that the proposed incremental J-integral equation can obtain much improved results of J-R curves for larger crack growth increments, and thus is more accurate than the present ASTM E1820 equation.

Strain-Based Failure Assessment Based on a Reference Strain Method for Welded Pipelines

2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jae-Sung Lee ◽  
Myung-Hyun Kim
Keyword(s):  
Reference Strain ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Equivalent Stress ◽  
Strain Curve ◽  
Evaluation Procedure ◽  
J Integral ◽  
Element Analysis ◽  
Plastic Energy ◽  
Integrity Assessment ◽  
Strain Method

Abstract Engineering critical assessment (ECA) is an evaluation procedure for structures with flaws and has been widely applied for assessing pipeline integrity. The standards for structural integrity assessment, including BS 7910, involve stress-based ECA, and they are known to produce overly conservative results. Therefore, strain-based ECA has been recently developed as an alternative approach. One of the effective methods for improving the accuracy of strain-based ECA is the reference strain method. However, only a limited number of studies have applied this method to welded pipelines. Therefore, a numerical analysis based on strain-based ECA was performed for girth-welded joints with a circumferentially oriented internal surface crack. Particular attention was given to the strength mismatch effects. The equivalent stress–strain curve in BS7910 was used to reflect the strength mismatch effects in the reference strain. The results of the proposed method were validated with the results of a finite element analysis (FEA) in terms of the J-integral. Previous methods and the proposed method exhibit a reasonable correlation of the J-integral in the case of over-matching (OM). In the under-matching (UM) cases, while the previous procedures tended to underestimate or excessively overestimate the elastic-plastic energy release rate in comparison with the FEA, the proposed method evaluated the J-integral of pipelines with sufficient accuracy.

Deterministic and Probabilistic Assessments of the Reactor Pressure Vessel Structural Integrity: Benchmark Comparisons

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia Turato ◽  
Vincent Venturini ◽  
Eric Meister ◽  
B. Richard Bass ◽  
Terry L. Dickson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fracture Mechanics ◽  
Pressure Vessel ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Safety Concern ◽  
Nuclear Regulatory Commission ◽  
Reactor Pressure Vessel ◽  
Oak Ridge ◽  
Integrity Assessment ◽  
Probabilistic Fracture Mechanics ◽  
Reactor Pressure

The structural integrity assessment of a nuclear Reactor Pressure Vessel (RPV) during accidental conditions, such as loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA), is a major safety concern. Besides Conventional deterministic calculations to justify the RPV integrity, Electricite´ de France (EDF) carries out probabilistic analyses. Since in the USA the probabilistic fracture mechanics analyses are accepted by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), a benchmark has been realized between EDF and Oak Ridge Structural Assessments, Inc. (ORSA) to compare the models and the computational methodologies used in respective deterministic and probabilistic fracture mechanics analyses. Six cases involving two distinct transients imposed on RPVs containing specific flaw configurations (two axial subclad, two circumferential surface-breaking, and two axial surface-braking flaw configurations) were defined for a French vessel. In two separate phases, deterministic and probabilistic, fracture mechanics analyses were performed for these six cases.

NESC-VII: Fracture Mechanics Analyses of WPS Experiments on Large-Scale Cruciform Specimen

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shengjun Yin ◽  
Paul T. Williams ◽  
B. Richard Bass
Keyword(s):  
Fracture Mechanics ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
National Laboratory ◽  
Pressure Vessels ◽  
Cooperative Action ◽  
Oak Ridge ◽  
Integrity Assessment ◽  
Feasibility Test ◽  
Reactor Pressure

This paper describes numerical analyses performed to simulate warm pre-stress (WPS) experiments conducted with large-scale cruciform specimens within the Network for Evaluation of Structural Components (NESC-VII) project. NESC-VII is a European cooperative action in support of WPS application in reactor pressure vessel (RPV) integrity assessment. The project aims in evaluation of the influence of WPS when assessing the structural integrity of RPVs. Advanced fracture mechanics models will be developed and performed to validate experiments concerning the effect of different WPS scenarios on RPV components. The Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), USA contributes to the Work Package-2 (Analyses of WPS experiments) within the NESC-VII network. A series of WPS type experiments on large-scale cruciform specimens have been conducted at CEA Saclay, France, within the framework of NESC VII project. This paper first describes NESC-VII feasibility test analyses conducted at ORNL. Very good agreement was achieved between AREVA NP SAS and ORNL. Further analyses were conducted to evaluate the NESC-VII WPS tests conducted under Load-Cool-Transient-Fracture (LCTF) and Load-Cool-Fracture (LCF) conditions. This objective of this work is to provide a definitive quantification of WPS effects when assessing the structural integrity of reactor pressure vessels. This information will be utilized to further validate, refine, and improve the WPS models that are being used in probabilistic fracture mechanics computer codes now in use by the NRC staff in their effort to develop risk-informed updates to Title 10 of the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 50, Appendix G.

Estimation of Through-Wall Cracking Frequency of RPV Under PTS Events Using PFM Analysis Method for Identifying Conservatism Included in Current Japanese Code

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazuya Osakabe ◽  
Koichi Masaki ◽  
Jinya Katsuyama ◽  
Genshichiro Katsumata ◽  
Kunio Onizawa
Keyword(s):  
Fracture Toughness ◽  
Fracture Mechanics ◽  
Crack Initiation ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Probabilistic Approach ◽  
Pressure Vessels ◽  
Assessment Procedure ◽  
Analysis Method ◽  
Integrity Assessment ◽  
The U.S

To assess the structural integrity of reactor pressure vessels (RPVs) during pressurized thermal shock (PTS) events, the deterministic fracture mechanics approach prescribed in Japanese code JEAC 4206-2007 [1] has been used in Japan. The structural integrity is judged to be maintained if the stress intensity factor (SIF) at the crack tip during PTS events is smaller than fracture toughness KIc. On the other hand, the application of a probabilistic fracture mechanics (PFM) analysis method for the structural reliability assessment of pressure components has become attractive recently because uncertainties related to influence parameters can be incorporated rationally. A probabilistic approach has already been adopted as the regulation on fracture toughness requirements against PTS events in the U.S. According to the PFM analysis method in the U.S., through-wall cracking frequencies (TWCFs) are estimated taking frequencies of event occurrence and crack arrest after crack initiation into consideration. In this study, in order to identify the conservatism in the current RPV integrity assessment procedure in the code, probabilistic analyses on TWCF have been performed for certain model of RPVs. The result shows that the current assumption in JEAC 4206-2007, that a semi-elliptic axial crack is postulated on the inside surface of RPV wall, is conservative as compared with realistic conditions. Effects of variation of PTS transients on crack initiation frequency and TWCF have been also discussed.

The Experimental Work in Support to ATLAS+ Project

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominique Moinereau ◽  
Patrick Le Delliou ◽  
Anna Dahl ◽  
Yann Kayser ◽  
Szabolcs Szavai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fracture Mechanics ◽  
Experimental Work ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Nuclear Reactor ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Ductile Material ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Term Operation ◽  
Integrity Assessment

The 4-years European project ATLAS+ project was launched in June 2017. Its main objective is to develop advanced structural assessment tools to address the remaining technology gaps for the safe and long term operation of nuclear reactor pressure coolant boundary systems. The transferability of ductile material properties from small scale fracture mechanics specimens to large scale components is one of the topics of the project. A large programme of experimental work is to be conducted in support of the development and validation of advanced tools for structural integrity assessment within the framework of the work-package 1 (WP 1): Design and execution of simulation oriented experiments to validate models at different scales. The experimental work is based on a full set of fracture mechanics experiments conducted on standard specimens and large scale components (several pipes and one mock-up), including a full materials characterization. Three materials are considered: • a ferritic steel 15NiCuMoNb5 (WB 36) • an aged austenitic stainless steel weld • a VVER (eastern PWR) dissimilar metal weld (DMW) The paper presents the WP 1, the experimental programme and summarizes the first results.

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